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The Backstage Blog

Head Backstage to be in the know.

We want to take you behind the scenes, to give you insider information you won't find anywhere else. This is where we pull Bloomington's hip happenings together with recommendations from our team, first-hand accounts from project producers, and guest blogs by local gurus. The Backstage Blog helps you stay in front of it all.

Travel writers photograph their experience of Bloomington

This past week, we were fortunate to host the 2015 Travel Media Showcase right here in Bloomington. It took more than a year to plan this conference, where more than 100 travel writers and tourism professionals met to talk about various destinations around the world, and tour every corner of Bloomington.

There's nothing cooler than seeing a city through the eyes of a first-time visitor. So we wanted to make sure we documented their experiences by inviting them to post on Instagram using #TMSBloomington -- and to sweeten the deal, we offered a photo contest where one lucky winner would walk away with a sweet prize bag full of Bloomington goodies like a stuffed Lil BUB toy, a Landlocked Music bag, a Bloomington Brewing Company pint glass, and more (most of which you can find in the Btown Store at our Visitors Center).

But there were many, many more photo entries (450!) that you don't want to miss. You can browse all the photos using the hashtag here.

Check out a few of my favorites below, and share your own photos on Instagram and Twitter using #visitbtown!

A sunflower outside Upland Brewery, by @debthmpsn

A gazebo at Fourwinds Resort & Marina, by @rochellesiegel

Tibetan monks, by our own staff @erinerdmann (not an official contest entry)

Abby Perfetti

Hailing from Indianapolis, Abby has lived in Bloomington since 2009. She was the Content & Social Media Coordinator for Visit Bloomington, and in her spare time, she sings in choirs, gardens, enjoys the occasional craft beer, and volunteers for Bloomington PRIDE where her wife, Sarah, is the director.